Transformers Review Generations Scourge

You wouldn’t know it from looking at my recent reviews, but I’ve bought a lot of the Generations TFs. I really should review them – some have been waiting quite awhile, but I wanted to rush Scourge to the front of the line. I’ve always been a Scourge fan and I’m ecstatic he’s finally got a cool toy.

I guess I should clarify or I’m going to get e-mails. Scourge has had a few toys before, but we could debate ad nauseam if they were “cool” or not. There’s the original (& the subsequent Targetmaster) of course, but I never got to have it as a kid even though Scourge was one of my favorite Movie designs. Allowance was limited and I just never got around to Scourge after Springer, Hot Rod, etc. There was a Botcon Scourge a year or two ago, but, ironically, my “adult allowance” is similarly limited (sigh) and it’s best if I stay away from Botcon sets (even when they’re Animated… let’s not talk about that, okay?)

Anyway, other Scourges weren’t really that cool. The original’s alt mode (a space faring boat, I guess?) was cool, but the robot form lacks charm. The Titanium and Botcon versions are okay, but I never really got into Titanium and I can’t afford Botcon sets, so they’re out. But a Scourge with an awesome robot mode at Wal-Mart for $12? Well, finally something my allowance can buy.

Scourge first appears in The Transformers: The Movie when he’s created from the remains of Thundercracker. Now, I’m sure I’ve bored you all with the heartfelt story of my Dad taking me to the movie before, but one of the things I remember is watching so many of my favorite Transformers die. It wasn’t traumatizing really, but looking back it probably should’ve been. My favorites were killed pretty quickly – Ironhide, Ratchet, etc. and then my favorite Decepticon got tossed out into space and left for dead. No, not Megatron, Thundercracker! For this trouble, Unicron remade Thundercracker into Scourge and, just as Hasbro intended, Scourge became my new favorite Deception.

Sad, isn’t it?

While Scourge was originally a “cybertronian hovercraft” this version is based loosely on a real plane, the experimental Boeing X-48. When I was a kid, Thundercracker was favorite of mine because he was an F-15 Eagle and he was blue (things aren’t complicated when you’re five), so Scourge now being a cool looking blue plane certainly doesn’t bother me one bit. I do appreciate that some of elements of the original Scourge were retained too, particularly the cannon on his head.

What’s really exceptional about Scourge’s new alt mode if that it’s nice and smooth. I love the Generations jets, but it’s always annoying to look under the plane and basically have the robot mode just scrunched up under the plane with the face starting out at you. Scourge folds up nicely inside his alt mode and he looks great from the top and from the bottom.

There are some boxy bits here and there, but most of the alt mode pretty accurately reflects the “flying wing” design of the X-48. Scourge’s blue and white colors also look great in this mode (though I wish the blue line extended to the wingtip) and the large Decepticon symbol is welcome – I’m not really enjoying the “Reveal the Shield” campaign in the 2010 line. It’s cool – I loved it as a kid – but, it’s a novelty that wears off. I’d rather they have true Decepticon & Autobot symbols.

Before I jump into his robot mode on the next page, I had to point out a hilarious extra feature on Scourge. During his transformation, his head pops up a bit to sit higher on his neck. If you leave his head in the higher position while transforming him into the plane, you can recreate one of the silliest things about Scourge – his penchant for leaving his head sticking out of the top of the “hovercraft” mode. It always looked odd when he did it in the cartoon and it looks odd here too, but it’s awesome that he can do it. Continue to Scourge’s Bot Mode…

Probably! I do have two more MOTUC reviews and three more DCUC reviews in my immediate future, but I would like to get to those guys before the review is irrelevant. I’d like to still get to Jazz & Tracks too, but I think too much time has passed for most of my other Generations figures.

I gotta say, after Revenge of the Fallen, i didn’t want any more Transformes. 🙁 But all of these classic-y designs make me happy and love them again! 🙂 I have Jazz and Tracks, course, those are “HUNT FOR THE DECEPTICONS” figures, but they are nice and classic-y! Not that i hate the movie designs, but something about that movie, and more that the only Transformers i could find were Those stupid twins… xD So it’s nice to see interesting characters again.